Friday, September 25, 2009

The photographer "suddenly realized he was in a room of mostly naked women"

Photo by Dave Yoder

I tell people that journalism and photography are dream jobs because they give you the opportunity to travel and meet people who move in other circles and other worlds. And photographer Dave Yoder is doing just that.

I used work with Dave at the Orange County Register, which has had some fantastic photographers over the years.

Dave once spent months hanging out with bounty hunters and risked his neck while getting some amazing pictures.

Photos by Dave Yoder

I see that Dave's latest assignments aren't quite as dangerous. He's now a fashion photographer in Milan.

Lens, the New York Times photography blog, just published an interview with Dave and some of his photos, including those below.

Lens explains how Dave got into fashion photography:

On the advice of a colleague, he showed his portfolio to Allesandra Ilari, bureau chief in Milan for Women’s Wear Daily. During the meeting, as she looked at images he’d made of American bounty hunters, he persuaded Ms. Ilari that he could find a fresh way to cover the happenings behind the scenes at one of the most important series of fashion shows in the world. He was hired.

I'm sorry for this model, who sprained her ankle. But I like the way Dave captures these behind-the-scenes moments.

Mr. Yoder’s initiation to his new subject was unceremonious. He showed up with a few cameras, and, standing in the middle of the fray backstage at his first show, suddenly realized he was in a room full of mostly naked women. He panicked, thinking that he was in a lot of trouble.“I thought somebody was going to spot me,” he said. But he quickly learned that there is a code of honor backstage. Photographers avert their lenses while the models are changing, and if they don’t, the other photographers present will make sure that they do.

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About Flagler Prof

Tracey Eaton, above, reports from a refugee camp in Afghanistan.Eaton is an assistant professor at Flagler College. His blogs include:Flagler Prof - most used to list student blogs, along with assorted photography and journalism blogs.Florida Daily News - a new site that will feature selected student news stories.Coquina, an online magazine created to showcase student work. Some Coquina stories will be crosslisted on Florida Daily News and vice-versa.Background on Eaton:He has been a journalist since 1983. He was a correspondent for the Dallas Morning News for 12 years. He was bureau chief in Mexico, then in Cuba. He writes a Cuba blog called Along the Malecón and contributes to the New York Times' Cuba page.The non-profit Pulitzer Center in Washington, D.C., helped finance his latest reporting trip to Cuba in 2010. Eaton is investigating Cuba's pro-democracy movement and U.S. policy toward Cuba.Eaton is also doing a journalism project on the Huaorani Indians of Ecuador.